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ABC News
ABC News
National

Father killed baby while mother was at work, jury finds

Joby Rowe argued he did not shake or drop his baby daughter.

A man who shook his baby daughter so hard that she suffered brain damage has been found guilty of child homicide.

Joby Rowe, from Heathcote in central Victoria, killed three-month-old Alanah Rowe in August, 2015.

His partner, Stephanie Knibbs, found Rowe standing over the girl, who was injured on a change table, after returning home from work.

"There's something wrong with Alanah," Mr Rowe said to Ms Knibbs, according to the prosecution.

Ms Knibbs tried to perform CPR and paramedics were called, but when they could not revive the baby girl, she was flown to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

Alanah had suffered brain damage from a lack of oxygen, and bleeding on the brain and behind the retinas, and was taken off life support within a day.

Rowe had always maintained his innocence and his lawyer, James Fitzgerald, argued that his client "did not do anything to cause her medical condition".

"He did not shake the baby, he did not drop the baby," Mr Fitzgerald said.

Rowe's lawyers argued that he was a "loving dad".

But a Supreme Court jury of five women and seven men found Rowe killed his baby daughter.

It was the second time the case had been deliberated, after another jury in April last year was unable to reach a verdict.

A pre-sentencing hearing has been scheduled for August 27.

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